Belgian pig farmers face an unsettled Christmas

The Belgian farmers union Boerenbond is, together with colleagues from other EU-countries, asking the Agricultural Council to reconsider giving the pig sector some extra financial support to compensate for the losses caused by the Russian embargo.

The union accuses the European Commission of remaining unmoved with regard to the desperate situation within the pig industry. Pig prices are still decreasing, will the feed costs suddenly start to rise again? "When it's about pigs, the Commission sometimes looks the other way." That means that most pig farmers are facing a turbulent year end. "They are losing sometimes 13 to 16 cents per animal. When selling a pig, you can lose over €10. The situation has been like that since September and that is clearly unsustainable."

The Boerenbond points to recent export figures which underline the situation. The industry succeeded in finding new export destinations for over 65% of the pig meat that previously went to the Russian market. But that still means that 35% is still hanging in the market, putting pressure on the prices.